TankBud

Henkel's lace plant

Aponogeton madagascariensis var. henkelianus

Also known as Aponogeton henkelianus, Madagascar lace plant, Lace leaf, Aponogeton fenestralis

FreshwaterBulb / tuberBulb offsets

Henkel's lace plant (Aponogeton madagascariensis var. henkelianus)
Laila_ · CC0

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
64–73°F
18–23°C
Max height
19.7 in
50 cm
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Midground
Type
Bulb / tuber
pH
5.5–7.0
Hardness
2–8 dGH
Spread
15.7 in (40 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Aponogetonaceae
Origin
Madagascar

Overview

This is a plant for patient, cooler tanks: keep it in the high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit, as anything from the high 70s up causes rapid leaf melt and can kill the bulb. Give it soft, acidic, clean water with good flow and only moderate light, since strong light lets algae colonise the open leaf lattice and rot the leaf. Do not bury the bulb, and feed it well through both roots and water column. It is genuinely demanding and not a beginner plant.

In the wild

Endemic to Madagascar, where it grows submersed in cool, shaded, fast-flowing streams and rivers. The henkelianus variety is prized for its more irregular, heavily latticed leaves with strong transversal veins. Because it comes from cool running water, it does not tolerate warm tropical tank temperatures for long.

Good to know

This is a recognised variety of Aponogeton madagascariensis in the family Aponogetonaceae; Aponogeton henkelianus is treated as a synonym. Its famous fenestrated (window-like) leaves have no leaf tissue between the veins, forming an open lace skeleton, an unusual growth pattern shared by only a handful of plants. Unlike most Aponogeton, this species does not need a hard dormancy, and its storage organ behaves more like a rhizome than a true resting bulb.

Did you know

Did you know its leaves are basically a living net? There is no leaf tissue between the veins at all, just an open lace framework, which is why it is one of the very few plants people grow purely for its skeleton.

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